Khayelitsha fire sees about 200 displaced
A fire that broke out in the early hours of Saturday, in Town 2, Khayelitsha, saw 192 persons displaced and 81 informal structures destroyed.
COURTESY: Gift of the GiversThe City's Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine
Carelse, said firefighters was alerted of structures alight in the area, just
before 1a.m.
‘’Several crews responded and strong wind was fanning the
fire to the nearby formal houses. The Incident Management Team was also
activated just after 01:00 to assist in mitigating the Incident. In total, 6
Fire engines and 2 water tankers were on scene and managed to contain and
extinguish the blaze at 05:30.’’
Carelse said four elderly women suffered from smoke
inhalation and were treated by Metro EMS, whilst one firefighter sustained second
degree burn wounds to his right hand.
He added that the cause of the blaze is still unknown and no fatalities
were reported.
The City’s Disaster Risk management’s, Charlotte Powell,
says various departments are helping those affected.
‘’The Gift of the Givers and SASSA are providing humanitarian assistance. Various
City Departments are on site and busy with assessments.’’
‘’City of Cape Town Electricity and Water & Sanitation will attend to damaged
infrastructure, while Solid Waste will
remove fire debris. The Department of Home Affairs was also activated to assist
residents with identity documents,’’ she added.
The fire is one of three significant incidents which Fire
and Rescue Services dealth with – A fire broke out in Blaauwberg and some crews
are monitoring the Rockview dam incident for potential flare-ups.
Done by: Mitchum George
Comments